A former high school teacher will spend 13 years in prison after pleading guilty to having sex with a student as many as 30 times, including once during a school trip to Washington DC.
Heather Hare, 33, was a consumer sciences teacher at Bryant High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. Her relationship with the student took place between August 2021 and April 2022.
Investigators discovered Hare had sex with the student in her car, her home and even in her classroom. The student was a senior at the time. They met for the first time, she was assigned to provide him with one-on-one guidance.
At one point, the teacher admitted to the teen that she fantasized about them having sex in the home she shared with her husband and young daughter.
The couple’s relationship grew through posts on Instagram and Snapchat. In April 2022, they have sex during an excursion to the country’s capital.
Exactly twelve months later, Hare was arrested on charges of first-degree sexual assault.
Prior to her arrest, Hare was cherished by her students. They even recorded a farewell video when her class was temporarily halted during the pandemic.
Heather Hare, 33, who shot to fame with a viral college farewell video and appeared on Good Morning America in 2020, admitted to having sex with a male high school student 20 to 30 times
Hare had sex with the victim, a male student at Bryant High School in Arkansas, 20 to 30 times during the 2021-2022 school year, including during a class trip to Washington, D.C.
“It hurt me to see her so upset because she is so supportive and always so kind,” said student Bella Watkins Good morning America in 2020. ‘It was horrible to see her cry. I said, ‘I have to do something for her.’
Her 12 students, including graduating seniors, shared selfie images saying goodbye to Hare when the course she taught was halted during the pandemic.
“Hello Mrs. Hare, I just want to thank you for literally everything you have done for me this year. You have helped me overcome so much and you have helped me through so many problems,” one student said in the tearful video.
‘I think she was very touched by the video. Everyone who knows her loves her,” said Watkins, a then-sophomore.
‘It was nice to see that many people are concerned [Mrs. Hare] the way I care about her,” said another student.
Hare told the outlet at the time, “It breaks my heart because so many kids are looking for a break in their day and they love coming to my classroom. The last part was sewing. We have had so many fun projects [planned] and we weren’t able to do that.’
Hare is married and has a five-year-old daughter. Her family was also featured on a local outlet, ABC7, in October 2022, when the little girl went viral for her Halloween costumes.
Before her arrest and dismissal from high school last April, Hare was cherished by her students. They even recorded a farewell video when her class was temporarily halted during the pandemic
Hare gained national attention when she appeared on Good Morning America in 2020 for a surprise video from her former students
Hare turned herself in in April 2023 after several TikTok and Snapchat posts were made claiming she was involved with a student, according to local reports
Hare and her husband prepared a dozen costumes and conducted photo shoots for their daughter before Halloween.
In federal court, Hare pleaded guilty to one count of interstate/foreign travel for prostitution/sexual activity under duress and one count of transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity.
In an Arkansas court, Hare separately pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree sexual assault.
‘Teachers who have sex with their underage students should take note of today’s sentence for Ms Hare, which reflects the consequences of abusing her position of trust and taking advantage of this minor’s vulnerability to repeatedly engage in unlawful sexual activity the US Attorney said. said Jonathan Ross.
“Our office will continue to hold those in positions of trust who target children accountable and prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law, as evidenced by Judge Rudofsky sentencing Ms. Hare to 13 years in prison.”
After serving her sentence, Hare will be subject to a lifetime of supervised release.
